Over the last several weeks, I have spent a lot of time with cars designed to drive themselves. This has included Nissan/Infiniti’s Propilot Assist, Tesla’s Autopilot, Byton’s EV prototype (with front seats that rotate backward) and even taken a ride in Lyft’s autonomous rideshare service at CES. The technology is advancing rapidly but is the future of driving going to be fully-autonomous?

If you are like me, you like driving. I enjoy the rush of accelerating in a sports car as much as any guy. I like the freedom that comes with being able to go anywhere at any time. I like being in control of what happens when I am behind the wheel. I love to drive!

Infiniti QX50 with ProPILOT Assist

I also love tech. I have always been an early adopter. I frequently preorder the latest gadget. I am usually the first person to beta test software and realize its strengths and weaknesses. I bought one of the first electric cars over 7 years ago and I use my adaptive cruise control almost daily in my current EV.

Does that make me the perfect candidate for a self-driving car?

I honestly don’t know.

Nissan LEAF with ProPILOT Assist

There is no denying that technology and cars are combining in a way they never have before. They have become computers on wheels. This gives them more capabilities than they have ever had before. They will continue to be able to take more and more control

The question really boils down to how much will we trust the car and the tech? I think that is precisely why all of the cars that I have driven have taken somewhat different approaches to their implementation of self-driving tech.

Different Approaches

I think that is precisely why every car company is taking their own approach towards autonomy. Some are taking a more cautious while others claim the future is almost here.

Tesla

When most people think of self-driving cars, they think of Tesla’s Autopilot system and videos of people doing nothing behind the wheel. Their tech is not yet supposed to be used this way yet but people expect it to be this way. Tesla buyers seem to be overly trusting of the tech.

Tesla wants to be the face of autonomous driving and states all over the news that they are pushing for full Level 5 self-driving (which means that the car can do anything that a human can do). They claim that a system when the car can take full control will be available in the not so distant future.

Tesla claims they can achieve this with their current camera and radar hardware they are shipping on their cars

Nissan/Infiniti

Andy Christensen, Sr. Manager at Nissan/Infiniti told me that Nissan is taking a bit of a different approach. Nissan wants to assist drivers and make their driving experiences better.

It feels like they are wanting to build that trust in the tech over time. They are in no hurry to take full control from drivers.

Infiniti QX50 with Autopilot

Andy told me that things like driving in snow will require driver intervention for quite a while.

Nissan current ProPILOT Assist is a Level 2 system that uses cameras and radar to keep you in your lane (through minor steering adjustments) and keep your distance from other vehicles. Honestly, it has done a great job of doing this Infiniti QX50 and the Nissan LEAF vehicle. It while being so mild that you barely know it is there.

ProPILOT Assist uses radar and cameras but Andy feels that a lot more hardware will be required for full Level 5 autonomy. Nissan used a lot of sensors to achieve the test run in the video below.

Byton

Byton is a Chinese company that came out of nowhere to show off their electric vehicle prototype at CES in Jan 2018. The vehicle is still a way from production but they claim that it will come with seats that are designed to rotate rearward when autonomous driving is engaged enabling the driver to interact with passengers creating the road trip of the future.

Byton did not say much about how they were going to achieve autonomy, only that their cars would ship prepared for it.

Lyft

Finally, Lyft was driving passengers between the Las Vegas Convention Center and several of the casinos on the strip without driver interaction. You simply called for a ride through Lyft’s app and then the car showed up and took you to your destination. Under current self-driving laws, a driver still had to be sitting in the driver’s seat but didn’t have to drive the vehicle.

It was a very impressive demonstration that showed how easy it will someday be to simply request a car and get to your destination even without a driver.

Valeo and Navya are planning to implement self-driving taxis in Asian markets.

As the tech gets better, cars will be able to do more of the driving. The question becomes would you trust your life to the tech? Will you let it drive you by it drive you completely by itself?

Every parent knows that traveling with kids is a challenge. It doesn’t seem to matter if it is just down the street to school or a cross country road trip, having kids in the vehicle increases the stress level to the point that it is amazing that any family every makes it to their destination safely. Honda is working hard to make sure that every family has a better and safer experience in their vehicles.

The 2018 Honda Odyssey Elite is no exception.

With having 6 kids, I thought I had seen everything. I was honestly shocked that Honda could solve issues I didn’t know I had. Let me explain…

I’m sure every parent on the planet has a some point sat their kid in front of the tv and tried to distract them for a while. I found out quite a while ago that somehow playing a dvd in the car silences kids from yelling “She touched me!!!”. What I didn’t know was that if you stream an entire season of Daniel Tiger on PBS kids using the Odyssey’s AT&T hotspot, that somehow they will start hugging each other and singing “Won’t you be my neighbor, won’t you be my friend?”

Now I know you might be saying “That’s great but my teenagers hate that show. What about them?” That’s where Cabin Control and Social Playlist come in. Honda has created an app that works with the built-in hotspot in the vehicle that goes a long way to letting those harder to please occupants think they are getting their way while still keeping your sanity.

Cabin Control has neat tricks like allowing them to control the second and third row climate control system from the app and letting them send where they want to go to the vehicle’s navigation system (where the driver can approve or reject) from their phones. But Social Playlist is the really what my teens loved. It lets up to 7 different devices send songs to the vehicle which creates the ultimate random playlist with everyone getting something they like. I had no idea Social Playlist would cause my teenage son to take out his headphones and ask questions about my song selections.

Which brings me to CabinTalk. At home, when you call your kids, most families either yell for them or send a sibling to get them. If you have a smart home, you might use some sort of intercom system with Amazon’s DropIn to make your life easier. In most large vehicles, you end up yelling to the back row. Cabin Talk is an intercom system for the Odyssey. Simply hit a button and your voice comes through every speaker in the vehicle even if they are using the wireless headphones to stream Netflix so my son didn’t have to yell “Who is Vanilla Ice?” to inquire about my song choice.

CabinWatch is like an Arlo smart home camera for the car. Most parents will deem this as unnecessary until they realize that it lets you see when that sneaky little toddler maneuvers her way our of her car seat straps or drops her drink on the floor and doesn’t want to tell you. They can’t even hide their messes at night. I was surprised at how often we turned it on and much preferred it over the rear occupant mirror.

Most minivan’s today seat 7 or 8 passengers. With our full household, needing 8 seats is the norm. I will admit that with all 8 seats in the Odyssey, access to the third row is a bit cramped but it works. We also successfully put 3 narrow car seats in the third row allowing my 3 older boys to sit in the much larger second row. The boys weren’t cramped although the girls did complain that they struggled to see the tv over my basketball player sons.

Where the Odyssey’s seating configuration really shines is with 7 passengers. When not needed, the second row middle seat easily lifts out to make room for the Magic Slide seats. With just grabbing a handle, the 2 second row bucket seats slide from side-to-side. In seconds you can separate your kids from picking on each other by creating two outboard seats or if you prefer, you can create a wide aisle down accessible from either power sliding door or narrow ones for little kids to get in the third row from both doors.

Now for the trunk…Provided you don’t have that removable 8th seat stored in the trunk, there is tons of space for even double strollers and I can’t say enough good things about the idea of Honda putting a ShopVac in the trunk so you don’t have to wait to take the van to the carwash to clean up those dropped french fries. My only minor complaint is that I wish it was designed so my kids could clean up their messes before I got involved but I guess Honda is all about safety (I could write another whole post about the safety features) and their probably isn’t a good way to make my wishes come true.

If you have read this far, you are probably getting the impression by now, that I love how Honda has made my life easier as a parent. Even if you are not typically a minivan parent, the Odyssey is worth checking out.

That is the phrase that keeps running through my mind every time I drive the 2017 Kia Cadenza. It is definitely not the economy car that most people envision when they think of the manufacturer. Kia has worked very hard to give this vehicle a luxurious feel and presence while still providing good value. It has paid off.

The exterior styling of the Cadenza reminds me of a BMW 3 series. That’s not a bad thing. It has a lot of similarities without being a copycat which you might cause you to confuse the two vehicles in a crowded parking lot.

I honestly like the way that Kia’s signature “tiger-nose” grill fits with the unique z-shaped LED headlights. It looks nice and clean without being over-the-top aggressive.

The rear of the vehicle is clean and simple with the most dominant feature being the dual exhaust ports which go through the bumper. I like the look but found it to be perhaps a bit too simple as for the first few days I found it a bit challenging to find the hidden controls to open the trunk without using the key fob.

Speaking of the trunk, it is huge! Through much of the time driving the car, I had several car seats stored in it (6 kids with a 5 passenger car) and still had tons of room for groceries. I even fit a 6 foot section of PVC pipe. It is a great trunk!

When I first sat in the Cadenza, I was immediately impressed by the quilted leather seats. They are nice looking, supportive and comfortable. That opinion remained even over the 1000 plus miles I drove the vehicle.

My kids fell in love with the heating and cooling aspects of them (only heating in the back). I also found that the seats were also quite easy to mount car seats to as the seat cushions don’t curve too much and the LATCH points and tethering points are easily accessible. There is also a ton of room in the back seat to even mount rear facing car seats (something many cars have a challenge doing behind my 6’3″ frame).

The dash is nicely laid out with the buttons all being easily accessible and intuitive. The addition of Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto is a nice addition so you don’t have to re-input your navigation destination into the car. I can’t wait until more manufacturers make this work wirelessly. For now, you still have to connect your phone via a cable for CarPlay in the Cadenza. I was not able to test whether Android Auto has to be wired. There is a wireless charging pad in front of the gear shift.

I’m not quite sure the fascination with putting analog clocks in luxury vehicles. I’m as much of a fan of a nice Rolex as anyone, but that is because I view it as a nice piece of craftsmanship and jewelry. In a car, it just seems out-of-place next to the plethora of digital displays in today’s modern vehicles. It feels a bit like putting an analog face on my Apple Watch. Sure, it tells the time but it does not exhibit craftsmanship (like a mechanical watch) or do much to make me look better. In my opinion, it is unnecessary in the Cadenza as well.

The model I drove was the Limited which came fully loaded with every safety feature. This included blind-spot detection, Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Advanced Smart Cruise Control (ASCC), Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), an and Forward Collision Warning System (FCWS). While I am glad I luckily did not need these systems to kick in to save me from an accident, I love that these types of features are becoming more commonplace and I am glad this car has them.

The Cadenza is a very smooth and quiet car. Kia used some extra thick glass on the vehicle which provides an exceptional amount of sound deadening material. I definitely noticed this when I drove it at freeways speeds with no kids but when kids were in the car, I found myself enjoying the Harman Kardon Quantum Logic audio system more (which indecently sounded better to me than the HK system in my BMW).

Kia has come a long way and the Cadenza is an excellent example of this. It is a good looking, luxury vehicle with lots of room, safety features, smooth and quiet ride.

With a price starting at $31,990, it is a good value for a nice luxurious vehicle.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: – Ecclesiastes 3:1

I believe there is a time and a place for everything. At one point, the newspapers were the public’s source of news. At another, retail giants such as JCPenny and Sears were where people would go to get the goods they needed. And at yet another, the government needed to be heavily involved with the funding of PBS and educating our children.

It’s now time for a change. Private companies can produce better content than our government.

A few years back, HBO inked a deal to fund Sesame Street in exchange for them being able to air the shows before PBS. At first, I have to admit that I was quite concerned with this arrangement. Could the same company that produces many shows that I would never let my young children watch actually produce a show that I would encourage my kids to watch?

I have to admit, the results have been impressive. Not only did the partnership produce something that I feel remained fairly true to the educational mission of Sesame Street but with the additional funding that HBO provided, it quickly became a more updated and entertaining show. They even recently incorporated a character with Autism, something I don’t feel PBS had the capabilities to address.

Today, I watched Julie’s Greenroom, a Netflix original show staring Julie Andrews. The purpose of this show, is to educate children about the arts. I was shocked to see not only Julie on the show but also Idina Menzel, Josh Groban and Alec Balwin teaching about singing, writing and acting. Who better to teach the arts that people that have become career experts in them? It also utilized Jim Henson’s puppets which gives it a feel much like Sesame Street. Overall, I am exceptionally impressed and my kids can’t stop watching it and learning. My 4 year old daughter can now clearly explain what a script is.

We need more shows like these and I believe that companies such as HBO and Netflix are in a better position to fund and create this content than PBS and it doesn’t require funding from our government.

This isn’t to say that I don’t understand the argument that PBS was always meant to be public and free to everyone. I just have to believe that parents would often be willing pay the subscription fees for these services if it does a good job of teaching their children. In the case they don’t want to pay for the content, I love the HBO/PBS agreement where PBS can broadcast the shows for free 6 months after HBO first shows it. It seems like a win for everyone. Let’s see more of this for the benefit of our children.

Dads can’t sign their son’s school reading logs.

In the news today there is tons of talk about equal rights for women but nobody ever mentions equal rights for dads. This true story with my son and his school absolutely blew me away.

Every Friday, my son has to turn in a reading log showing what books he read during the week and how long he read them. These reading logs are then signed by a parent before they are turned in.

Last Thursday night, my wife was out of town so I told my son I could sign his reading log. He was very hesitant to give me the log but I quickly looked it over, signed it with his pencil, and told him to turn in in the next day.

It turns out his teacher had rejected his reading log and told him to go have his mom sign it instead. Her exact statement was “Only moms can sign it!”

I was absolutely flabbergasted!!! Why in the world can’t a dad sign his son’s reading log? Not only that, his teacher made him feel like it was wrong for him to have me sign it and made him “correct” it.

I would like to state that this was a strange isolated incident but I put this in the same class as the comments like, “Is your wife gone so you are babysitting?” or when I show up for a kids school event in the middle of the day “Don’t you work?”. Dads just are not perceived as being anything other than financial providers for their families.

Dads are so much more. Yes. Men and women often approach things differently but that doesn’t mean one way is wrong and one is right. I can cook a meal as well as my wife. I can support my kids at a school event. I can keep my kids my getting lost in public places. I even can calm my daughter when she cries. Dads are an important part of the family and we need to not forget it.

I purchased this product and all opinions are my own. I was not paid for this review.

I have always loved the latest tech and I use my phone A LOT! That is why I knew I had to have the latest Juicepack Air iPhone 7 Plus battery case from Mophie. Not only does it add battery life of my already long iPhone battery but it adds wireless charging to the iPhone so I will no longer get teased by my Android-loving friends.

Case Selection

I have used Mophie’s battery cases in the past and was immediately disappointed that Mophie did not have a case for the iPhone 7 plus when it launched. They kept sending me emails that it was coming and that it was going to be amazing, so I decided to wait. Besides, I could not find any other cases that would incorporate wireless charging.

Battery

Unlike how Mophie has offered different size cases with varying battery capacities in the past, the only option now is a 2420mAh battery which doesn’t quite double the 2900mAh battery built into the iPhone.

Color & Finish

The only real option is color but the price I paid for being an early adopter was that Best Buy had not yet received all of the 5 different colors (black, rose gold, gold, navy and red) when I wanted to order. So I settled on black and also decided I should order one for my wife in the rose gold.

I was quite surprised when they arrived that the black is a matte rubbery finish yet the rose gold is a painted, almost glossy, finish. This drastically changes the look of the two cases. So much so that if I hadn’t known better I would have thought they were from two different brands. It also let to my wife disliking her case. The glossy finish always made her feel like it was going to slip out of her hands.

Size

The iPhone 7 plus is not a small phone. When you add this battery case to it, it more than doubles in thickness and weight. I recognize that any battery case will do that and it is not a big issue for me as I have big hands and huge pockets but for my wife it was just “too big”.

Wireless Charging and Operation

Charging

I mentioned earlier how wireless charging was a key feature that I wanted to add to my iPhone. This case delivers that feature and does it well. Mophie uses that standard Qi protocol used by wireless charging Android phones so the same chargers should work. I bought Mophie’s Charge Force desk mount charger which uses magnets to hold the phone vertically while it charges. The magnets are very powerful and I have never had a fear of it falling off. The mount also has a sticky bottom if you want to keep it in place on you desk. It has enough weight that it won’t fall over even if you don’t stick it down though.

It definitely has a certain “coolness” feature to it knowing that my phone is charging and I didn’t plug it in. It feels like the future.

My biggest “charging” complaint is that Mophie still uses microUSB instead of lightning cables for iPhones. This means that if you need to charge somewhere where you don’t have wireless charging (like a hotel), you had better remember to bring a microUSB cable. This also prevents any use of wired headphones as you can’t use Apple’s lightning to headphone adapter.

Operation

If you have ever used a Mophie battery case before, you are used to the lights on the back of the case showing how charged it is and the little switch that you enable to start charging your phone. This case still has the battery capacity light but the switch is gone!

This totally changes the way the case operates. The battery case is always on keeping your phone battery at 100% until the case dies. The concept works fine but on more than one occasion I have offered my wife my dead case to charge her phone without even thinking to check the battery lights on the back of the case.

As far as I can tell, the case operates this same way when it is being charged on the wireless dock too. You are only charging the case with the power from the dock, then the case charges the phone.

The Verdict

If you need extra battery capacity, the Mophie Juicepack Air Case for iPhone 7 Plus, is probably one of the best options on the market and it gives the added benefit of wireless charging. Unless you are in love with a certain color, I recommend staying with the matte black finish as it is much grippier and easier to hold.

With 6 kids, I am always looking for new and exciting ways for them to learn. Amazon recently launched a subscription service that is designed to make my job easy. Amazon’s STEM Club sends an educational age-appropriate STEM toy every month for only $19.99. The service promises to pick only the best science, tech, engineering and math toys. They state they will be from “top trusted brands” and “from robotics to natural sciences there is always a new discovery on the way”.

Given that I have kids in all of Amazon’s age groups, I may have to try them all.

Planning a trip to Disneyland? Don’t go before checking out these Disneyland tips we have for you. As a family of 8 who are frequent Disneyland visitors, we’ve got all the inside tricks for you.

My kids love the magic of Disneyland! In my opinion, there are few things more amazing than seeing that magic light up your child’s eyes and giving them memories that will last a lifetime.

While my family has had the opportunity to visit numerous other amusement parks, nothing seems to compare with the experiences my family has a Disneyland.

But as my family has gotten larger, the costs have gone up exponentially. We have learned to get creative to get the most out of our time at the park and save money at the same time.

Here are my top 10 tips you need to know before visiting Disneyland

Ticket Prices – This is obviously the largest cost for anyone attending the park. Discounts are hard to come by but GetAwayToday and AAA do offer a few dollars off. Stay away from individuals selling tickets as Disneyland now photographs people entering the park and your resold passes will likely not work. Also, as kids under 3 years old are free, you can easily save $100 or more going before that 3rd birthday.

Crowds – Disneyland now adjusts their prices based on how crowded they predict the park to be that day. My recommendation is if you can avoid it, don’t ever go on a day when the costs are high. Not only will it cost you more money but you will ride less rides because of the crowds. IsItPacked.com is a good tool to help you estimate the crowds before you go.

FastPass – Take advantage of FastPass tickets as often as you can and get the tickets for the rides you most want to ride early in the morning. Right now, Radiator Springs Racers in California Adventure usually gives out all their FastPass tickets for the entire day by around noon, earlier on busy days.

Rider Swaps – If you have members of your party that can’t ride a ride for any reason (kids aren’t tall enough, etc), ask for a rider swap when you get on the ride. This will enable up to 3 people to ride after you get off by going through the FastPass line.

Parking – Most of the time you will be directed to the Mickey and Friends parking structure. You then take a shuttle from the structure to Downtown Disney. There are several sections of the tram where you don’t have to empty and fold your stroller. Right now parking will cost $18 per vehicle. We actually prefer some of the other overflow lots better as you don’t have to fight the crowds to get on the tram at the end of the night. If you are staying at a hotel nearby, look for one that offers shuttle service or is walking distance to the park to save on parking costs.

Strollers – I recommend bringing a stroller even if you are not bringing young babies. Strollers work very well for carrying food, jackets, and tired kids at the end of the night. Just make sure you don’t leave valuables in them when you leave it to get on rides.

Food – There are lots of places in the park where you can now get meals for under $10 per person but that still adds up with a group, so we bring lots of snacks. Our favorite right now is the Uncrustables pre-made sandwiches. You can buy them frozen at any grocery store and they thaw throughout the day, keeping them from getting smashed. Bringing your own food means you can go the entire day without paying extra for food, or you can use your savings to splurge a bit for a nicer dinner. If it is in your budget, I highly recommend the character dining experience at Ariel’s Grotto. Check out our experience as a family of 8 at Ariel’s Grotto.

Drinks – Especially if you go during a hot day, you have to stay hydrated. Many people don’t know that any restaurant in the park that serves fountain drinks will give you ice water cups for free and they typically already have them ready (no need to wait in line, just walk up to the counter. If you want some flavor, I like to bring some single serve Crystal Light packets to dump in the free waters. No where in the park does Disneyland offer free refills of fountain drinks.

Parades/Shows – There is no real way around this. If you want a seat, get there early. Main Street is always the most crowded for the parades but also has the most seats. I recommend trying up where the parade begins by Its a Small World. If you are not that interested in the parades or if you have already seen, this is an excellent time to go on the rides that typically have long lines.

Hotels – Staying at the Disneyland-owned hotels give you the advantage of Magic Mornings (you get into the park an hour before everyone else) but if you are not wanting to pay those prices there are lots of other options that are within walking distance so you don’t have to pay the $18 for parking at the park. Our favorite is the Convention Center Residence Inn. It opened in summer 2016, offers free breakfast and has huge suites that will sleep up to 8. The Fairfield Inn Anaheim Resort is the closest to the park and has Disney-themed rooms. The Courtyard Anaheim Theme Park Entrance has a cool Disney waterslide at opened in 2015.

A video has been circulating recently that makes the bold statements that “I am not my kid’s buddy. I am their parent and they are angry with me because I parented them.”

While I agree that more parents need to parent their children and not worry so much whether them doing that makes the kid happy. I also feel that in today’s day and age, your child has to have a friend that they can confide in. If you are not friends with you child, how can you hope to know what is going on in their lives. This doesn’t mean as a friend that you need to always give them their way, it simply means that you are constantly working on building a relationship of trust.

We walk a fine line as parents. My guidelines for being a good parent are:

1) Love the child.
2) Spend time with them.
3) Listen to them.
4) Be an example.
5) Be stern but understanding.
6) Correct and punish, when necessary.
7) Show an increase of love.

Parenting is hard. Trust me, with 6 kids, I get it but being a successful parent goes far beyond just laying down the lay and forcing them to comply.

Fifty years ago, the media portrayed dads as being strong father figures who provided for their families and provided for their wife and children. With few exceptions, it seems like dads are now portrayed as simple idiots who are often “duped” by their kids, can’t provide financially and have no real direction.

As a father of half a dozen kids, I feel like I have learned a lot about being a dad over the last dozen years. I’m still far from perfect but I hope that I have learned a few things over the years.

I approached the birth of my oldest with excitement and fear. I was scared that I had no idea what I was doing but as soon as I saw his little face, I went into provider mode. I then spent the next number of years working full-time, going to college full-time but also doing late night drives trying to get him to sleep along with attempting to not get peed or puked on to many times.

I am not going to discount that I am certain my wife has regularly out worked me when it comes to the kids and household, but I am certain that I am far from the way the “traditional” father is now portrayed in the media. I have worked hard for my kids and know many other fathers who have done the same, lets not forget them.

As I see it, the role of a dad is to:

1) Provide
2) Protect
3) Lead by example
4) Teach

I hope to use this blog to help other parents learn what hast helped me in my family.